Top 6 Altered Coins

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Proxiblog has published articles about each of these altered coins. This is a roundup with die markers and links. Read the summary and then, for more knowledge, access the article.

1909-S V.D.B. Lincoln Cent

The “S” is added to common 1909 Philadelphia cents. This is the No. 1 faked coin.

We need some background on why this coin is valuable and how decisions by the US Mint created opportunities for counterfeiters.

Secretary of the Treasury Franklin MacVeagh disliked the prominence of Victor David Brenner’s initials on the reverse and stopped production in August of that year, removing initials entirely on the remaining 1909 and 1909-S cents. That is why you only find the initials on some 1909 and 1909-S examples. In fact, those initials did not appear again until 1918 when the VDB appears below Lincoln’s shoulders. That’s how angry MacVeagh was. But he wasn’t thinking about counterfeits at the time even though his actions inadvertently made altered dates easy.

Scammers realized they stood to make big profits merely by adding:

An “S” to a 1909 VDB cent.
VDB to a 1909-S cent.
An “S” and “V.D.B” to a 1909 cent.

You can find that history along with die markers in “Identifying Fake 1909-S Cents.”

Excerpt:

Now compare mintmarks with a genuine, added mintmark and cast replica mintmark:

1916-D Mercury Dime

Scammers add a “D” mint mark to a 1916 Philadelphia dime. It is one of the second frequently faked coins, after the 1909-S VDB. You can also find them in fake PCGS and NGC holders. There are replicas, too. And more.

Learn about all the ways scammers are altering or faking this rarity. See: “Deceptive 1916-D Dimes” by counterfeit expert Jack D. Young.

Excerpt:

As Jack always says when reviewing a subject coin, ATTRIBUTION is the key! And with help from a few friends he pulled this template together of the 4 known reverses/mint-mark positions and shapes for use in evaluation of the 1916-D. He also has added this fake example in the middle of the template for a good comparison of good versus bad.

Template of four good mintmark positions and bad one in the middle.

Jack is one of the top counterfeit detectives in the country. Read the aforementioned article to become familiar with his methods.

1914-D Lincoln Cent

Scammers alter 1944-D cents, shaving down the first “4” to make it look like a “1.”

The most counterfeited coin is the 1909-S VDB; but the 1914-D Lincoln Cent actually has a smaller surviving population. This makes the 1914-D a prime target for counterfeiters.

You can read about the scammer’s methods in “Fake 1914-D Cents.”

Excerpt:

Look for a large gap between the “9” and the second “1” in date. 1944-D cents are commonly altered to appear as 1914-D cents, but this leaves too much space between the first two digits and the last two digits.

See this example from NGC:

You can also find telltale markers on genuine coins in the aforementioned article.

1932-D and 1932-S Washington Quarters

Common 1932 quarters are altered with an added “D” or “S” mintmark.

The 1932-D Quarter (436,800 minted) and 1932-S Quarter (408,000, lowest mintage in the series) are a coveted pair for collectors. The 1932 Philadelphia Quarter has a mintage of 5,404,000 with no mintmark, of course, on the reverse, making it a target for added mintmark fakes.

You can see how scammers add the mintmark as well as become familiar with die markers.

Except:

The most obvious die marker for a genuine coin concerns the filled mint mark (“D”) with visible serifs and bloated appearance, even in uncirculated grade.

Here’s how the mintmark looks in more common circulated grades (note you can see still serifs).

You should also look for die cracks on the reverse, especially near the eagle’s left wing or the motto “PLURIBUS.” Many but not all display this.

Go to the article to see the 1932-S die markers.

1943 P/D/S Copper Cent

Steel cents from this year are often copper-plated or the date is altered on a 1948 or 1949 cent.

You’ll also find replicas on Temu and Etsy shopping sites.

Approximately 40 copper-alloy cents were accidentally minted across all three U.S. Mints (Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco) in 1943. The 1943-D is the rarest (1 known), while 1943-S (San Francisco) is exceptionally rare (fewer than 5 known). Some 20+ 1943 cents are said to exist.

There are distinct die markers for all three cents. You can read about them in “Counterfeit 1943 Copper Cents.“

Excerpt:

Simple detection methods include using

  1. A magnet. If the coin sticks to it, it isn’t copper.
  2. A coin scale to see if your specimen weighs 3.1 grams. (Steel cents weigh 2.7 grams.)
  3. A lupe to view the date and to detect if it has been altered.

Here’s an example of a 1948 cent altered to look like a 1943 copper cent weighing 3.1 grams and passes the magnet test:

Go the article to see the die markers of each copper cent. You’ll also learn to identify replicas.

1989-CC Morgan

Fortunately, the 1889-CC Morgan dollar has only three known major die varieties (VAMs), each with specific die markers. This makes it easier than other dates with more markers when identifying counterfeits.

The most common practice is to add a CC to the common 1889 Philadelphia Morgan. That is why knowing the die markers for authentic coins is so important.

You can read about all the die markers in “Identifying Counterfeit 1889-CC Morgan Dollars.”

Excerpt:

A mere 350,000 coins in 1889 were struck at the Carson City Mint, and hundreds of thousands of those were melted after 1918 due to the Pittman Act. This makes it a nifty target for criminals. Moreover, the common date 1889 Philadelphia is used for an added mintmark. Here is an example from NGC:

Right off the bat, veteran hobbyists know that the mintmark used in the above example is the wrong one for an 1889-CC dollar. Scammers typically take the “CC” from a lesser value 1878-CC dollar.

Let’s start there by showing the mintmark of an 1878-CC and 1889-CC Morgan:

The aforementioned article also discusses the VAMs of genuine 1889-CC Morgans. You will want to know those, too.

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Proxiblog also has thousands of followers on Facebook Coin Groups, YouTube and social media. To get the latest discussion and commentaries, click here.

You can find more information about errors and varieties as well as buying and bidding on coins in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider purchasing the work for yourself or a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist website. Thank you.

Common Mercury Dime Counterfeits

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Key date coins are commonly counterfeited and should be viewed with scrutiny. This subject example of a 1916-D Mercury Dime surfaced and what many would call a “one glance” counterfeit.

The mintmark punch for the 1916-D is easily recognizable, along with 4 mintmark positions for genuine coins. This clearly isn’t a genuine mintmark and as one can tell by the surface quality the coin itself is a counterfeit.

This is one seen routinely through various Facebook groups, you would be hard pressed not to see one of these shared weekly. It isn’t just the key dates targeted (although that is the primary targets). Image comparison of a 1916-D, 1921-D, and 1939-D pictured below. A common reverse with a “bad” mintmark and small surface lump to the right of E.

Common markers in Red:

  • Surface lump to the right of E of ONE
  • Deformed mintmark shape and placement

Markers In Green indicate features not present on all examples. In this case two cracks running though U in “UNITED” and the A in “STATES”.

If you would like to know more about 1916-D markers, click here.

If you like posts like this, please go to our counterfeit archive with reports from Jack Riley, Jack D. Young, John Lorenzo and Michael Bugeja. Also, please subscribe so you can get our weekly newsletter and be informed whenever there is a new article or column.

Proxiblog also has hundreds of followers on Facebook Coin Groups. To get the latest discussion and commentary, be sure to friend us by clicking here.

You can find more information about errors and varieties as well as buying and bidding on coins in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider purchasing the work for yourself or a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist website. Thank you.

Double Denomination/Struck Coin

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Double denomination coins are genuine errors struck on a previously struck planchet of a different denomination (e.g., a cent on a dime). Double struck coins are struck twice with the same dies, often overlapping. 

Let’s investigate these genuine error coins and distinguish them from post mint damage (vise and glue coins).

Double Denomination

A double denomination error happens when a previously struck coin, often a smaller denomination like a dime, is fed into a press for a larger denomination like a cent. Because there are two denominations, struck over each other, the error is known by this name. Typically, this happens when struck coin bounces or falls into the wrong hopper or is jammed in the machine, coming loose during striking of another coin.

Technically, this is a machine error. But unlike machine doubling, double denomination coins are rare and highly sought after. The strike also usually ends up misaligned on the planchet.

The most frequent holdered examples include the so-called “11-cent coin”–a cent on a dime. Often a Roosevelt dime is struck with a Lincoln cent. One way to tell is identifying the reeded edge from the dime. Replicas and fakes often do not include this identifying aspect.

Other denominations include a 15c Coin, or Jefferson Nickel on a Cent; 35c Coin, or Quarter on a Dime; and a $1.05 Coin Sacagawea Dollar on a Nickel.

Also, the dates of these double struck coins do not have to match. Two different dates usually occur with machine-jammed coins that come loose during striking of another, as in this example:

Double Struck

This error happens when a struck coin did not eject from the coining chamber and gets struck again, or several times. The result is an overlapping and distorted design with one strike flattening the other. Some double-struck coins have a date; others, as in the above example, do not.

There are different types of double struck coins. The most common is a coin struck correctly that doesn’t eject with the second strike off center. Another type happens with a second image struck over the first. Less common are multiple strikes,

You can see the various examples on the PCGS website. Here’s a double struck off center cent from that site:

The most common double strikes include Lincoln Cents (1959-2008) and clad Jefferson Nickels, Roosevelt Dimes and Modern Washington Quarters.

Vise and Glue Coins

A “vise job” is evidence of post mint damage. It is not an error. Someone squeezed one coin atop another using a vise, hammer or pliers so that it resembles a double struck or denomination coin.

You can spot a vise job when letters or the date appeal backward or the design is sunken into one rather than raised as would be a genuine error.

Note the backward spelling of “America” on this coin:

You can also do similarly with glue. These often appear like double strikes with a ghost image seemingly stuck to a regular strike. Upon inspection, you should see a foreign raised substance. A person uses glue to get an imprint of one coin and then layers it on another. If the raised area looks shiny, you probably have a glue coin.

As the glue dries, however, it may turn darker rather than transparent, looking like metal as below:

If in the market to purchase a double denomination or double struck coin, and are unsure how to identify replicas and forgeries, make sure that it is in a reputable holder. Keep in mind that China has been exporting these fakes. Here’s some examples from Etsy, all selling for under $30.

If you are interested in the various coin conditions like double denomination and double struck, be sure to visit our illustrated coin glossary, the largest on the web, with close to 300 entries.

If you like posts like this, subscribe so you can be informed whenever there is a new article or column.

Proxiblog also has thousands of followers on Facebook Coin Groups, YouTube and other social media. To get the latest discussion and commentary, be sure to friend us by clicking here.

You can find more information about types, varieties, errors, grading, bidding and buying in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider buying or gifting the work for a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist blog. Thank you.

QUICK TAKE: Remove and Block Hijackers

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Have you noticed that people, often from different countries, hijack Facebook coin group posts and show their own coins rather than commenting or answering questions? Here’s an example:

The above hijackers were responding to this post:

To many, this is just a nuisance. But it also can be hazardous as many such posters have malicious intentions including scamming you, phishing your email or Facebook site, and worse–algorithmic manipulation.

Let’s define that: Algorithmic manipulation is the intentional use of computer data to exploit your vulnerabilities or pull information from and about you, often via a bot or program to scrape data.

They also might appear on a FB post that solicits lots of comments–like the post above about the 1982-D Small Date Cent.

These scammers might have stolen or fake accounts. They hijack posts and show coins that they do not own, trying to get you to engage them about buying. Or they just might want your personal data for some other spurious reason.

Some cannot get a legitimate FB account and so use “likes” or engagement as a ruse to operate without being blocked.

If you are the target of a scammer, file a report with the group moderator. Many people do not know how to do this. Here’s a video about this with easy instructions:

You can also use Facebook’s contact form to report impostor.

If you like posts like this, please subscribe so you can get our weekly newsletter and be informed whenever there is a new article or column.

Proxiblog also has thousands of followers on Facebook Coin Groups, YouTube and social media. To get the latest discussion and commentaries, click here.

You can find more information about errors and varieties as well as buying and bidding on coins in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider purchasing the work for yourself or a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist website. Thank you.

eBay Seller’s comments to “Your Baby’s Ugly”

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By Jack D. Young

Proxiblog asked me to consider doing an article on “how eBay sellers react when we report their coins as fake? I know some take down the lots. Others don’t.” I was intrigued by the thought and decided to write the following!

When I explain a Bay listing is counterfeit sellers can react a number of ways–in disbelieve, argumentatively (Grandpa owned it), accepting and thankful, combative (I’ll meet you in a parking lot dude…) or just “crickets.”. In my experience the larger the seller the higher the probability of crickets.

So, moving on I will not lower our standards here and report the combative ones but several of recent experiences I have had of the other types of reactions.

Let’s start with an interesting Trade dollar. This example just caught my eye, and the images led me to believe the coin was not genuine. The images in the listing were not definitive, and I asked the seller for better ones. He agreed and that was all it took! The common reverse used for a family of fakes I nicknamed the “notched R.” I wrote an article on these published in a recent LSCC Gobrecht Journal. I actually own one returned to a seller by NGC as counterfeit, so well versed on these:

eBay recent listing

So, I asked the seller about the coin and that I had concerns about its authenticity. He responded that he looked up the cert and the “PCGS verification”.

I responded there were no images on the on-line cert, so no help there. I included images from my coin and article and that I was sure it was counterfeit.

And he responded with a thank you and that he would remove the listing immediately, which he did!

So, a win, except who knows were the coin ends up, as he responded he is taking it back to the previous seller… And then another listing and another message:

Seller actually had two bad Morgans in fake PCGS slabs listed:

As he stated in his message, he ended both!

So, two with likely the best results we could hope for. And then this one:

Another counterfeit coin in a counterfeit slab, this one gets a little complicated if you really evaluate this one properly.

First, the obverse barcode scans as a 1989 $10 gold eagle. Then, the images of the genuine example for the cert# on the PCGS site are a completely different coin. And third, the interesting twist for this one is fakes of this type typically have a reverse QR code that scans to the genuine PCGS cert site in CHINA (cnpcgs), BUT this one scans to pcgseurope! A separate article on this one in the works.

So, I notified the owner, but he is in denial, and his response and then silence:

Silent until this😎:

So, good luck to all eBayer’s with that one!

And now the crickets; my friend Jack Riley posted the next example in our Face Book group:

Pretty bad counterfeit in a counterfeit slab again, the surprise was it is a large well respected Bay coin seller. Several of us sent messages to the seller with no response, so I took a risk and purchased it with the intention of asking for a return for it being a counterfeit.

Refund granted, never heard from the seller…

And eBay removed the listing:

Shortly thereafter my eBay account was permanently suspended.

If you like posts like this, you can read more articles on counterfeit coins by Jack D. Young, Jack Riley and Michael Bugeja at this URL. Also, please subscribe so you can get our weekly newsletter and be informed whenever there is a new article or column.

Proxiblog also has thousands of followers on Facebook Coin Groups, YouTube and other venues. To get the latest discussion and commentary, be sure to friend us by clicking here.

You can find more information about errors and varieties as well as buying and bidding on coins in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider purchasing the work for yourself or a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist website. Thank you.

Fake Eisenhower Dollars

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By Jack Riley

As most collectors know, Chinese counterfeits have flooded the market. Often many buyers are “burned” on key date and semi key date coins of many series. We have stressed that nothing is safe and that includes Eisenhower Dollars! These are readily available at banks for face value and yet here we have counterfeits.

Diving straight into repeating markers of these two “coins,” a 1971-P and 1977-P show commonalities between the two. Both share matching obverses and reverses indicated in Red.

Obverse markers:

  • Diagonal depression of L
  • Depression in front of the eye

Reverse markers:

  • Raised lump below A1
  • Indent below OF
  • Line through C

China produces counterfeits of common coins like the Eisenhower dollar if a small profit can be made. These scammers may not be expert numismatists; but they are professional marketers who know about profit margins. Their profits expand with bulk production, flooding eBay and Facebook with fakes. China knows the coin collectors will just assume that low-value common coins like Ike dollars are genuine.

They are polluting the hobby.

If you suspect that one of your coins might be fake, see “Detecting Counterfeits” for methods.

If you like posts like this, you can read more articles on counterfeit coins by Jack D. Young, Jack Riley and Michael Bugeja at this URL. Also, please subscribe so you can get our weekly newsletter and be informed whenever there is a new article or column.

Proxiblog also has thousands of followers on Facebook Coin Groups, YouTube and other venues. To get the latest discussion and commentary, be sure to friend us by clicking here.

You can find more information about errors and varieties as well as buying and bidding on coins in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider purchasing the work for yourself or a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist website. Thank you.

VIDEO: 3 Types of Doubling

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If you want a quick refresher of the major types of doubling–hub, machine and die deterioration–view this video. It will help you identify those types with audio explanations by Michael Bugeja.

Click here for an article on the 5 types of doubling.

Also, Proxiblog has assembled some 50 videos on this site and YouTube. Click the photo below to see them.

If you like posts like this, subscribe so you can be informed whenever there is a new article or column.

Proxiblog also has thousands of followers on Facebook Coin Groups, YouTube and other social media. To get the latest discussion and commentary, be sure to friend us by clicking here.

You can find more information about types, varieties, errors, grading, bidding and buying in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider buying or gifting the work for a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist blog. Thank you.

Our Half-Million Milestone!

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Proxiblog wishes to thank the thousands of subscribers, followers and Facebook and YouTube coin group members for helping our site reach a half million hits in the past six months. A special thanks to our writers Jack Young, Jack Riley, Susan Blumlein Amodeo and John Lorenzo as well as Facebook coin group moderators who welcome our articles and posts.

3 Types of Doubling

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With the popularity of coin microscopes, hobbyists are finding all manner of doubled dies, but only one really is valuable. Nevertheless, it is important to identify the three main types so that you can tell whether you have a valuable or face value coin.

Types of doubling covered in this article:

  • Hub doubling.
  • Machine doubling.
  • Die deterioration doubling.

By becoming familiar with the various types of doubling, you not only will be able to increase your knowledge of numismatics but also can help others with their finds.

Hub Doubling

This is the most important kind of doubling, always valuable because most kinds have a decent spread of letters, numbers and devices. You usually do not need a microscope. You can see these with a loupe or naked eye.

This type of doubling is produced by a misaligned hub that engraves the defect directly into the working die, meaning the image will be evident in every coin struck by that working die. That is why the result is called a variety, and not an error.

Here is the most famous doubled die resulting from a misaligned working die:

Some 40,000 of the 1955 DDO were initially struck, with about half of the run caught and destroyed, leaving about 24,000 that made it into circulation.

The key distinction of hub doubling is separated, raised and rounded doubling. Older coins typically have this kind of doubling. In the 1990s, the US Mint introduced what is called a Single Squeeze Process, reducing the number of doubled dies with less of a spread and with doubling occurring more toward the middle of the coin.

If you want to learn more about hub doubling and the minting process, see “How Does Hub Doubling Happen.”

Machine Doubling

Machine doubling occurs when the die moves slightly during the striking process, distinguishing it from hub doubling, which is associated with the working die.

Because machine doubling happens during a strike, its “double” image is flat and shelf-like and not raised enveloping the letter or number like hub doubling,

Compare the two in this comparison image:

Machine doubling, which often requires a microscope to see, is common because the Mint uses extraordinarily high-speed machinery whose vibration often causes the working die to bounce on impact.

Machine doubling typically is caused by a single strike, meaning not all coins of that run will have the same impression, as happens with hub doubling. That is why machine doubling is a mechanical error and not a variety.

It also has no collector value.

Die Deterioration Doubling (DDD)

Like any manufacturing facility, the US Mint uses its equipment on a cost-saving basis, meaning working dies are used until they begin to deteriorate. The striking process is high-speed and powerful. When a die is overused, some of the lettering, numbering or devices begin to erode slightly with metal flows entering the degraded areas.

That’s why die deterioration doubling is common, without value, even though at times this mechanical error looks stretched rather than flat. This is how you distinguish between machine doubling and DDD. (Also, die deterioration appears to be a weak strike.)

When the US Mint started producing copper-plated zinc coins with pressure to produce billions of them each year, mint operators over-extended the lives of working dies, producing millions of DDDs.

There are two other types of doubling, “Split Plate Doubling” and “Reduction Lathe Doubling.” The former also is associated with copper-plated zinc cents with the plating eroding in what looks like doubling, especially on mintmarks that people confuse with repunched mintmarks (RPMs).

The final type is “Reduction Lathe Doubling,” really a production issue that happens when a design is transferred to a master hub by a lathe vibrating slightly. The doubling is subtle and again, not valuable. It looks like machine doubling and really is just a category of it.

If you would like to learn more about the minting process, click here.

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Proxiblog also has thousands of followers on Facebook Coin Groups and across social media. To get the latest discussion and commentary, be sure to friend us by clicking here.

You can find more information about types, varieties, errors, grading, bidding and buying in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider buying or gifting the work for a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist blog. Thank you.

Counterfeit 1881-S Morgan Dollars

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A recent eBay listing of a counterfeit 1909-S VDB cent sparked me to look at the rest of this particular seller’s offerings. They had nearly half of a dozen 1881-S Morgan Dollars along with a few counterfeits of other series. The 1881-S is a relatively common coin and easily found in high mint state grades; one wouldn’t expect to stumble across a counterfeit. The first image is of one of the represented coins.

A comparison of three of the coins tells the tale. Given the scratches, dings and random “circulation” marks, this isn’t a mix up of images. There are three separate coins.

Anyone who does a lot of variety attributions of Morgan Dollars will know that 1881-S is a difficult year to attribute and generally won’t be done just by a glance like some dates. All examples from this eBay seller exhibit the same repeated contact marks.

Notable obverse marks:

  • Line through S
  • Surface scratch left of U
  • Small surface mark between right star 5 and 6

Notable reverse marks:

  • Small scratch below the base of S
  • Field dot between U-N and above U
  • Minute surface flaws between E-D

If you like posts like this, you can read more articles on counterfeit coins by Jack D. Young, Jack Riley and Michael Bugeja at this URL. Also, please subscribe so you can get our weekly newsletter and be informed whenever there is a new article or column.

Proxiblog also has thousands of followers on Facebook Coin Groups, YouTube and other venues. To get the latest discussion and commentary, be sure to friend us by clicking here.

You can find more information about errors and varieties as well as buying and bidding on coins in Coin News Updated: The Essential Guide to Online Bidding. Please consider purchasing the work for yourself or a friend, as it underwrites this hobbyist website. Thank you.